e time....

_Jab._ (_in a kind of sing-song_). May it please your venerable lordship
and respectable gentlemen of the jury, I am in the very similar
predicament of another celebrated native gentleman and well-known
character in the dramatic works of your immortal _litterateur_ Poet
SHAKSPEARE. I allude to OTHELLO on the occasion of his pleading before
the Duke and other potent, grave, and reverent signiors of Venice, in a
speech which I shall commence by quoting in full----

[Illustration: MR JUSTICE HONEYGALL.]

_Mr Justice Honeygall._ One moment, Mr JABBERJEE, I am always reluctant
to interfere with Counsel, but it may save my time and that of the jury
if I remind you that the illustration you propose to give us is hardly
as happy as it might be. The head and front of OTHELLO'S offending,
unless I am mistaken, was that he had married the lady of his
affections, whereas in _your_ case----

_Jab._ (_plaintively_). Your lordship, it is not humanly possible that I
can exhibit even ordinary eloquence if I am to be interrupted by
far-fetched and frivolous objections. The story of OTHELLO----

_Mr Justice H._ What the jury want to hear is not OTHELLO'S story, but
yours, Sir, and your proper course is to go into the witness-box at
once, and give your version of the facts as simply and straightforwardly
as you can. When you have given your own evidence and called any
witnesses you may wish to call, you will have an opportunity of
addressing the jury, and exhibiting the eloquence on which you
apparently place so much reliance.

[_Here poor old ~JAB~ bundles off to the witness-box, and
takes some outlandish oath or other with immense gusto,
after which he starts telling the Jury a long rambling
rigmarole, and is awfully riled when the old Judge pulls him
up, which he does about every other minute. This is the sort
of thing that goes on:--_

_Jab._ At this, Misters of the Jury, I, being but a pusillanimous and no
Leviathan of valour----

_The Judge._ Not so fast, Sir, not so fast. Follow my pen. I've not got
down half what you said before that. (_Reads laboriously from his
notes._) "In panicstricken apprehension of being severely assaulted _a
posteriori_." Who do you say threatened to assault you in that
manner--the plaintiff's mother?

_Jab._ I have already had the honour to inform your lordship that I was
utterly intimidated by the savage threats of the plaintiff's mother
that, un